Category Archives: Careers

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I recently watched Darci Lynne Farmer, the 12-year-old singing ventriloquist from Oklahoma City, wow the audience and the judges on America’s Got Talent. Before the 7-minute video was over I laughed, and I cried. Real tears. I am not kidding.

And then I thought…

What if Darci Lynne had never practiced ventriloquism on her own at home? What if she’d just waited until age 18, signed up for ventriloquism classes, and then expected those classes to give her everything she needed to perform like a superstar?

Sure, a lot of 20 somethings read this book after graduating from college. But I say: Why wait? If your kid’s a high school senior, order this book right now and give your son or daughter a huge head start on building a happy, fulfilled life.

Believe me — this book can be a game changer for any student in their late teens or 20’s.

Recently, I was contacted by a freelance writer hoping to guest post on my blog. Her article was essentially a long list of reasons why electrical engineering is a great career for students to consider.

The writer provided several great reasons for students to consider electrical engineering, including these:

Electrical engineering can be an excellent part of an interdisciplinary career that also includes chemical, civil, petroleum, mechanical, software, or biomedical engineering.

Electrical engineering can be applied to work that involves signal processing, control systems, robotics, microelectronics, and more.

Electrical engineering pays well, and career prospects in electrical engineering are good. (Just take a look at this excellent information page that the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides on the subject of electrical engineering.)

I refused to publish the article, and here’s why.

My reply to this writer said:

“Ella, it’s clear that you have worked very hard on this article about electrical engineering, but I’m sorry; I cannot accept it for use on my blog.

In everything I write, I stand against pushing kids to certain career goals unless three specific psychometric assessments indicate that the child would be naturally good at that career as far as personality, interest, and strength bent. I go into detail on exactly how parents can access these assessments and figure all this out in chapter 13 of my book.

I can’t publish anything encouraging students toward one certain career. What if the parent reading the article has a child who is a born artist, and that child will be miserable and a failure as an electrical engineer? Thank you for your effort here. I hope you can get it published somewhere else.”

Here are 7 Proven Ways To Get Through College FAST

When you imagine your daughter’s future, you probably don’t envision her spending extra years in college.

Yet, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 40% of college students earn their bachelor’s degrees in four years. And only 60% of college students receive a degree in six years!

Grads in these degree fields find it hard to get the jobs they went to school for. They tend to make less money than they should be making, and a lot of them live with this discouraging realization: “I might have just wasted all that time and money I spent on college; I’m not even using the degree I worked so hard for.”

Help your kid stay off of the path to underemployment.

17 College Majors That Tend to Lead to Underemployment:

Physical Education Teaching: 57% grads are underemployed

Human Services: 56% grads are underemployed

Illustration: 55% grads are underemployed

Criminal Justice: 53% grads are underemployed

Project Management: 53% grads are underemployed

Radio/Television & Film Production: 53% grads are underemployed

Studio Art: 52% grads are underemployed

Healthcare Administration: 52% grads are underemployed

Education: 52% grads are underemployed

Human Development & Family Studies: 52% grads are underemployed

Creative Writing: 51% grads are underemployed

Animal Science: 51% grads are underemployed

Exercise Science: 51% grads are underemployed

Heath Sciences: 51% grads are underemployed

Paralegal Studies: 51% grads are underemployed

Theater: 51% grads are underemployed

Art History: 51% grads are underemployed

(This information is based on PayScale data collected from 962,956 workers between 3/21/2014 and 3/21/2016.)

But wait–there’s good news in this Forbes report too!

In every one of these college major fields, some of the graduates are working. A good number of them (in some cases almost 50%!) are employed in their career fields, fulfilling their potential, making money they’re happy with.

What sets the fully-employed grads apart from the underemployed ones?

One thing I know for sure–the grads who completed extensive job shadowing and multiple paid internships in their career fields are doing far better than those who failed to complete these important steps during college.

You can see two extremely helpful posts I’ve written about internships here and here.

If your kid loves a field with low employability, have him or her try this:

Take the advice of Gwen Burrow from Find Your Calling, who tells students: “Ask yourself–do you really need two or four years of full study in subjects like studio art, creative writing, or theater? Is that something you could do with just a few classes, plus practice on your own time?”

Your child could also consider combining the less desirable major with a potentially more lucrative minor. Combine a “health care administration” major with an accounting minor, for instance, or an “illustration” major with a marketing, advertising, or art education credential.

I’m not sure I’d advise your kid to pursue a college major in Studio Art, Theater, or Art History…

Those fields are notoriously difficult when it comes to finding full-time jobs after college.

But I can tell you this. Being strategic about job shadowing and interning can make the difference between depressing, low-paying, motivation-sapping underemployment and a truly fulfilling long-term career that makes perfect sense.

(Many thanks to Gwen Burrow from Find Your Calling for the help she gave me writing this article.)

5 Strategies For Getting Hired Right Out of College

Today I’m featuring a guest post by internship & career success blogger Sharise Kent. Sharise spent 5 years managing a national internship program where she placed over 400 interns with some of the biggest media companies in the world. Her blog helps college students understand the value of internships and the importance of designing a career during the early years of college. Her book, The Internship Manual: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting the Internship of Your Dreams is available here.

I invited Sharise to speak to my followers today because her advice is invaluable for parents who want their kids to get actual jobs after college.

Many parents are dismayed when they find out that colleges don’t actually teach students how to get jobs.

Students who don’t realize this early can find themselves with knots in their stomachs during senior year when their parents cheerfully ask, “How’s the job search going?”

These well-meaning parents likely have no idea—their soon-to-be college graduate doesn’t even know where to start looking.

I’ve written in a previous post about the horror of loving mothers and fathers who sacrifice for years only to find themselves in their 50’s, stressed and anxious over unkempt twenty-something children still living in their childhood bedrooms. Many of these parents despair over dependent 20-somethings sleeping in past noon, lounging afternoons away on parents’ couches, helping themselves to food from their parents’ refrigerators, and then staying up long hours into each night gazing into the flickering blue screens of online video games.

You know that there are hundreds of thousands of parents living this nightmare every day, right?

When your child is in elementary and middle school — or as soon as possible after that — start telling your children this important sentence:“Honey, we will be happy to provide free room and board to you after your high school graduation, as long as you’re enrolled in (and making successful progress through) a full-time academic or job-training program.”

2.If your child is still in high school, clearly lay out the plan for the summer after high school graduation.

15-year-old Luke had been in a dark, angry mood all day long, starting from the moment his mother wished him a cheerful, “Good morning!” and set hot scrambled eggs and a fresh hot caramel roll in front of him at the breakfast table.

Luke ate in broody silence, and his mother felt momentarily thankful for the quiet. If Luke could just get off to school without a screaming mood swing and slamming doors, today would be a good day.

Luke’s mom looked at him chewing the buttery, drippy carmel roll. His eyes were flat, his face devoid of appreciation or joy. She felt anxiety rise in her own chest, but then rationalized it away. “It’s probably just hormones,” she told herself, “and there’s nothing I can do about that.”

Actually, it’s probably not “just hormones.” It’s more likely “launch anxiety,” which is something you can help with more than you realize.

Rather than hormones, your teen’s dark moods, depression symptoms, mood swings, blunted, flat emotional responses, and hair-trigger anger are far more likely to be linked to a psychological condition called “launch anxiety.” The good news? Keep reading. There’s a lot parents can do to alleviate “launch anxiety” and help teens to feel better.

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What others are saying …

"We only got around to doing a fraction of what Jeannie tells people to do, and we saved well over $50,000 on college costs. Our daughter earned a four year degree from an excellent private university at age 20, and she's now in California happily working her dream job at Disney. Get to one of Jeannie's live classes if you can. Buy a plane ticket if you have to!"
-- Liz and Tim Weatherhead, parents, Bloomington, MN

"Students who go through college without career direction are, as Jeannie Burlowski says: 'like archers who pull the arrow back on the bowstring, shoot, and then years later look around for the target.' Jeannie's resources help students to take aim early and fire a sure shot. Whether that's at medical school, or at some other worthy endeavor."
-- Dr. Paul Amble, M.D.
Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale School of Medicine
Chief Forensic Psychiatrist for the State of Connecticut

"Jeannie Burlowski has been instrumental in helping me to reach some of my highest academic goals."
-- Jordan Denitz, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, University of California, San Diego Greek Scholar of the Year

"Just read a single tip on JeannieBurlowski.com and immediately made an important change on our daughter's FAFSA form that could save us tons. Thank you Jeannie!"
-- Amy Lively, author of The Neighborhood Cafe theneighborhoodcafe.net

"Jeannie didn't just help me get into my favorite college, she helped me figure out what I actually want from college. I attribute my top-notch scholarship, my new straight-A study skills, and my future aspirations to two afternoons I spent with Jeannie. If you want a great future, start with Jeannie Burlowski."
-- BradWalton, Fort Collins, Colorado

"Hi Jeannie! I am completely thrilled and excited with everything you say and do. I just made a 3 ring binder and downloaded every single grade level task for college prep, in addition to your blog articles. I am extremely passionate and committed to getting (our daughter) through college with the least amount of debt possible. I just wanted to say 'thank you' for this valuable information and how much I appreciate you as a college curator. You are the BEST and I look forward to your books when they are released."
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About

I am a full-time academic strategist, conference speaker, and author of the book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward.

My writing and speaking provide parents a clear, step-by-step checklist so they can set their kids up to succeed brilliantly in college, graduate debt-free, and move directly into careers they excel at and love.

For more than 20 years, I've helped students apply to highly competitive law, medical, business, and grad schools. I still do that from my website GetIntoMedSchool.com.

I am married, and my husband and I have a son and a daughter. We live in Minneapolis.

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Disclaimer

Note: Information provided by Jeannie Burlowski and JeannieBurlowski.com is for general informational purposes only. Because consultants cannot control student grades, test scores, individual family situations, or how well or how thoroughly parents follow the suggestions offered in these pages, no representation, warranty, or guarantee can be made and no liability is assumed regarding any individual’s ability to graduate college debt free or succeed in career or in life. Seek the advice and counsel of a properly licensed CPA, Certified Financial Planner, or other licensed professional for specific guidance on how to apply these principles to your family’s individual financial situation.

About Me

I am a full-time academic strategist, conference speaker, and author of the book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward.

My writing and speaking provide parents a clear, step-by-step checklist so they can set their kids up to succeed brilliantly in college, graduate debt-free, and move directly into careers they excel at and love.

For more than 20 years, I've helped students apply to highly competitive law, medical, business, and grad schools. I still do that from my website GetIntoMedSchool.com.

I am married, and my husband and I have a son and a daughter. We live in Minneapolis.